BAM17 wrote:Has this happened to anyone else on this forum?
I don't know if you will hear from someone in this forum, but spontaneous dislocation of flaps is almost never heard of. The reason is that the cornea "sucks".
The cornea is nourished by the fluids from behind the cornea and the oxygen in front of the cornea. This exchange causes a small suction within the cornea. This internal suction holds down the flap within a few seconds after surgery. This is why bandage contact lenses and eye patches are not normally required after Lasik.
It is possible that you rubbed your eyes in your sleep, and it is (more?) possible that during your sleep your eyes became dry and stuck to the inside of your eye lids. When you opened your eyes there was enough extra friction to cause your flaps to shift. A lubricating eye gel at night may be appropriate. Ask your doctor about
Lasik dry eye treatment techniques.
BAM17 wrote:Is my prognosis still as good even though this happened to me?
Your doctor is the best to tell you this, but it does not sound like you suffered any permanent damage. I suspect that your eyes are very angry at the moment and there is some corneal edema (inflammation), which can cause changes in refractive error and poor vision.
BAM17 wrote:Any info. would be helpful.
Expect your doctor to monitor closely for something called
epithelial ingrowth. It is a problem that is relatively benign and may not require treatment if it does develop, but you can cross that bridge if you ever come to it.
The flaps may have a bit of
macrostriae, that your doctor will watch. If either epithelial ingrowth or macrostriae occur, the doctor may recommend a flap lift, flooding the area with a balanced solution, and repositioning the flaps. That is likely the worst case scenario.
In the unlikely event of a sudden loss of vision quality (things get whitish and hazy at all distances) in the next few days/weeks, contact your doctor immediately. Other things can happen after trauma to the flap that may need urgent attention.
BAM17 wrote:....what if this happens again to me?
Contact your doctor immediately. The cornea is remarkably resilient even after abuse like you describe. As I said, your eyes are probably pretty angry at the moment, but it seems reasonable from what you have described to expect a successful outcome. Yes, it can be pretty scary, but there does not seem to be any reason to panic.